Years of Lost Find Their Owner
by Kira of Darkness
Summary: Ruby Rose, 10 years after her graduation at Beacon, is living in the quaint town of Hirano under a new identity. All was well until her old team shows up on a capture or kill mission on Cinder Fall. She is ordered not to give up her facade, and tensions rise rapidly. Ruby soon discovers her lost past, and why she can't divulge her facade. (Possible romance, possible M rating)
1. Chapter 1

_It's been ten years... Oh how the time has flown..._

Ruby Rose looked over her collection of pictures, a small smile growing ever bigger as she got in the more recent ones. She gave a big sigh when looking over the last one and stood from her seat, moving to her bathroom in the apartment she lived in.

She glanced hard in the mirror, looking back into her scarred features, brushing her somehow absurdly long hair back behind her ear. Red lines adorned her face, some old and new, some washable and some untouchable. Her left eye was a dark red, a battle about five years ago bursting a blood vessel in her eye and covering the retina with a new tone of color, one of blood.

Ruby felt tears cloud her vision and moved her arm quickly to disperse them over her skin, the hairs prickling at her face.

_I bet everyone else is living better lives than I am..._

After the adventures of Beacon and everyone graduating Ruby Rose had gotten a letter from her uncle Qrow, inviting her to his house for a celebration. She excitedly accepted, and dressed in a semi-professional manner, leaving her Crescent Rose with her sister Yang. Arriving at her uncle's Ruby expected to meet her uncle with a few of his colleagues. What she got was a surprise.

_Ten Years Ago..._

_"It's been four years since I've last seen Uncle Qrow. I wonder what surprise he's got planned for me." Ruby wondered, skipping slightly down the lit streets of Vale. After getting the letter Ruby was able to convince her teammates to go back to their families for some time, more fighting Yang on that decision. A funnier part of the fight was when Ruby tried to go weaponless, riling her sisters nerves. In the end she was able to convince her sister with some blackmail. Ruby rolled her eyes with a slight smile as she recalled the humorous fight. She let the memory disperse however when she reached her uncle's house. She knocked and stood patiently, thinking it was just her uncle increasing the anxiousness in her. After about five minutes of waiting however Ruby realized something was wrong. She knocked a little more loudly and patiently waited again. After five minutes she got fed up and opened the door and rushed in._

_She was stopped hurriedly however when she slipped in some type of thick liquid and fell face first, her nose getting a heavy dose of whatever it was._

W-what is this...?_ Ruby asked, disgusted as she felt her skin tingle against the liquid. She brought herself up slightly and looked down, now noticing she was in a pool of blood. Ruby turned green and stumbled until she stood, slipping constantly in the liquid._

_"W-what the hell..." Ruby whispered in horror, her silver eyes dilating till they were the size of her pupils. Bodies were strewn and abandoned across the house, which Ruby recognized as her uncle's colleagues and friends._

_"No..." She mumbled, bringing her hands to her mouth to not scream. She let the tears fall silently and got up to call the police before she heard a familiar cry._

Uncle Qrow!_ Ruby thought, her retina's receding to their earlier form. A second scream was all it took before Ruby made her way through the house, trying to be careful to not slip in fall. She reached the kitchen and was met with an almost horrifying sight. Her uncle was being held by his collar as a kitchen knife already stained with blood was moving towards his left eye. The person who held Qrow up was Cinder Fall... Now Ruby was pissed._

_As the knife wasn't more than three inches from her uncle's eye, Ruby lashed out, "No!" She cried, grabbing a pan nearby. Ruby rushed Cinder as the latter turned towards her, unable to react in time. A loud echo and snap vibrated he room and Cinder felt her jaw break and a few teeth fly out. Cinder dropped Qrow, him falling to the floor with a thud. Ruby could tell he was unconscious by this point, and saw the knife within diving distance._

_"Well, if it isn't the pest I was looking for." The cinder haired woman laughed in a somewhat slurred voice, considering her jaw was snapped out of place and was now missing a few teeth. She stood and used her aura to grab some knives and threw them at Ruby. The graduate of Beacon rolled under the counted and let her rage boil as the knives were imbedded into the counter she was covered by. She saw the kitchen knife and rolled for it, successfully grabbing it and moving to the counter nearby._

_"Oh, I see you plan to kill me with the knife I used to kill your uncle's old friends. I doubt you have the will to kill another human though." Cinder taunted, slowly moving towards the cowering rose. Ruby gulped and waited till the noise was close, but became confused when they suddenly stopped._

_"How does it feel... Knowing you can't save the ones you love..." Cinder muttered before grabbing Ruby's head and smashing her into the side of the counter._

Ruby shook her head, her tears slinging everywhere. She couldn't remember more after that, however that scene was enough to give her nightmares. Ruby glanced back into the mirror and cleared her vision, her black hair grew down to her mid back, and with Ruby refusing to cut her hair she eventually stopped wearing her cloak. As mentioned before, she had different colored eyes, one silver and one red, however she had eye color changing contacts to make her eyes normal. Scars adorned her face, but her memory was foggy between her head being crushed into the counter and waking in a ditch next to train tracks, so she never knew how she got them. Her attire was similar but different compared to what she wore when she was younger.

Ruby primarily wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a shattering red moon with what Weiss Schnee, a close friend, called a Combat Skirt. Her skirt went down to her knees and was streaming with black and red. Her belt, instead of her signature rose everyone knew her for when she was younger, was instead a gold eagle with its wings spreading above its head, almost meeting at the tip. To Ruby, the eagle meant freedom, however still trapped down, unable to fly. She left the bathroom after sliding in her contacts and grabbed her red sweatshirt and moved to switch off her T.V., which had been on for some time, when some shocking news stopped her.

"Word has it that the prestigious Grimm hunting team of RWBY has decided to make their stay here while on mission. Our little town of Hirano has the honor of having such intelligent, courageous, and beautiful women stay here!" The journalist yelled with excitement. Ruby let her remote drop, eyes wide and mouth dropped.

_T-team... RWBY...?_ The former leader thought, falling to her knees.

"Yang... Weiss... Blake..." Ruby let her tears fall.

**Out in the forest next to Hirano...**

"Stupid trees." A blonde muttered, trying to smack dangling branches away. A white-haired woman behind her shook her head, but gave no comment.

"If you hate those branches so much Yang, why don't you join me?" A black-haired girl asked, jumping from one branch to the next. The blonde, now known as Yang, glanced up at her friend, who sat in the branch above her perched like a cat.

Yang grinned, "I'd rather deal with branches than have someone get a look at my panties Blake. Nice cat decoration by the way." Yang ended with a whistle and a wink. Blake flushed a bright red before jumping down to join her friends.

"Alright, enough you two. We're getting close to Hirano and I'd prefer to not have the locals think were insane." A male said with laughter, jumping into view. He was black-haired with his eyes being covered by sun glasses, and had a scar on the lower part of his right cheek. His attire was a simple black muscle shirt with a similarly colored sweatshirt, and dark-colored jeans. The white-haired woman turned to face him, an indifferent look on her face.

"Let them say what they want Recca, I hardly think other people will care. After all, we _are_ considered the ones who saved the world from the Grimm." She shrugged, fixing her neck length hair. Recca in turn glanced back and forth between the bickering friends and the white-haired girl, shrugging.

"Well, you guys weren't the _only_ ones to stop the Grimm, team... who were they...? Oh, team JNPR was it? Weren't they there as well?" Recca asked, trying to rack his memory.

The white-haired girl nodded, "Yes, they did. Jaune Arc actually delivered the final blow while that spirit was toying with us." She recalled with distaste.

Yang jumped into the conversation , "Actually, have you heard of what they've done since then Weiss?"

"Why are you asking me?"

Blake spoke this time, "Because you have all the connections princess. We're not as deep into the FBI as you are." Blake recalled with a smirk.

Weiss' face went red, "Hey, that was _one_ time!" Her cries fell on deaf ears as her team just laughed, reminiscing old times.

Everyone became calm a minute later, allowing Weiss to answer, "Anyways, no, I've gotten no information on them besides a rumor that they've broken up." The info drop caused everyone to stop and stare back at her with unbelievable expressions.

"What? Why would they do that!?" Yang cried in disbelief, causing Blake to flinch because she was closest to the blonde.

Weiss shrugged, "No clue." Silence fell on the four as they entered Hirano, where _everyone_ was there.

The four stared blankly, "Uh... Hello?" Yang asked with a timid wave. That was all it took for the entire town to swarm around them, now bombarding the quartet with questions.

"How's the mission?"

"Has Team JNPR really disbanded?"

"Who is the new addition to the team?"

"Is he replacing Ruby Rose after she-" The last man couldn't finish his sentence because he was sent flying back into a nearby building, Yang having her arm extended with Ember Celica activated.

"If anyone mentions her name, I will kill them." Yang said with vivid fury, her eyes red. The media backed away and allowed the team to move through the streets.

Ruby watched her team from her apartment, torn between rushing down there and meeting them or staying in her room. Before a decision was made her phone rang.

She picked it up, "Hello?"

"Ruby, I know you want to meet them, but you can't." A familiar voice informed with haste.

Ruby in response sighed, "Why can't I though? Those three girls down there are my _friends_! I should be allowed to go see them!"

The voice retorted, "The reason is Cinder Fall! We've finally got a read on her and apparently Team RWBY has as well! If your cover is exposed and Cinder finds out as well I guaran-damn-tee she will kill you and them along with, just to prove her point!"

Ruby bit her lip, gripping the phone cord with her other hand, "Bu-... Fine Christian, I'll stay incognito." Answered Ruby reluctantly.

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you like that, but with how close we are to finally catch her, we can't risk it."

"It's ok, I understand. I'm going to go shopping, goodbye Christian."

"Goodbye Ruby."

Christian set the phone into cradle, giving a deep sigh. He swung his chair over to the desk behind, grabbing an old paper. He glanced over the title of the cover a deep frown littering his face.

**Ruby Rose Destroys Vale, Massacring Hundreds!**

Christian shook his head and let the paper slip from his fingers.

"I don't know how to tell you Ruby... But good luck getting your former teammates to not kill you..."

Ruby walked down the street, glancing at the nearby passerby's as they raced down the streets and sidewalks to get a glimpse at Team RWBY.

The former leader sighed, _I wish I could be among those three, walking through the crowds, giving smiles off to the crowd, and having a good time._ That's when she had another thought.

_Who was that male that was with them? Was he a boyfriend to one of them? Or... Maybe my replacement...?_ At that last stretch Ruby stopped, her head down.

"He is..." She mumbled. Before she could dwell further loud noised starting making their presence known. The 28-year-old craned her head to meet a ravenous crowd of people following the three girls she once knew and the man she had just been curious about.

_They look...different, more mature..._ She said, getting a look at her old friends. Blake Belladonna, that sly cat girl that she found out two years later after the start of Beacon that she was crushing on her sister Yang. Her hair stayed relatively the same, but was a little curved at the end. Her bow was missing now, and to Ruby it seemed that she was comfortable with being a Faunus. Her clothing was more light, with a white tank top and a thigh length black skirt, low heels accompanying. Gambol Shroud still kept its place on her back and her neck adorned a slim necklace with her symbol on it.

Weiss Schnee. Ice queen with a quick reaction and enough intelligence to outsmart the White Fang single-handedly. Her hair was without its signature side pony tail, and was cut down to neck length. Her clothing still held its semblance to her love of white, with Weiss's shirt a short sleeved white shirt with her snowflake on its center. Her signature white jacket with a bright red inside covered the shirt, and had white shorts. Ruby felt slightly confused as to why Weiss wore a jacket while it was close to summer. That was in the back of her mind though, because she was focused on mainly two things, how to get around Christian forcing her to not meet her former teammates and wondering who that man was. That's when her eyes caught her only true friend when she was growing up.

Yang Xiao Long, her beloved and protective sister that who went berserk when someone messed with her hair even a little. Her hair was shorter, but not by much, and her ahoge was trimmed slightly as well. Her clothing stayed exactly the same, leaving Ruby dumbstruck. Her gauntlets, as Ruby saw earlier, were still with her. The only thing Ruby truly saw different with her sister was a necklace with her old emblem.

_It's hard to believe Yang still remembers me..._ Ruby thought with a slight frown.

Yang was darting her voice to answering questions and talking to her friends on where they should go for lunch when her eyes laid on a stray, young women who was staring at them. Her black bangs were frayed over her face and her brown eyes bore into...her maybe?

"Yang?" Weiss asked. Yang snapped her attention back to the former.

"Yes Weiss?"

"What are you staring at?"

Yang turned her focus back to where the woman was, "H-" She stopped barely a syllable when she noticed no one was there.

"Yang?" Weiss asked again.

"N-never mind. It was nothing..." She trailed.

Ruby was fast walking way from the crowd, her heart racing at Yang noticing her.

_I've got to be more careful. I can't let them spot me._ She thought, however deep in her heart she still wished to walk up and speak with them.

_No, I can't. I need to follow Christian's orders. He hasn't led me astray so far, so I have no reason to not believe him. Not yet anyway._ She gave a last defiant thought before moving to a nearby grocery store.

"Now, to pick stuff up for dinner." Ruby spoke to herself, hoping to get her mind off of her old friends. She grabbed a small basket and started shuffling through the store grabbing ingredients for what grabbed at her stomach. A few minutes later she ran into someone when she wasn't paying attention, knocking both down.

"Sorry." Both victims spewed. They sat up and saw who they were saying sorry to. It came as a shock to Ruby on who it was. If his blonde hair and blue eyes didn't give it away, his attire sure did.

"Jaune!" Ruby yelled excitedly, before realizing what she just blurted. The blonde in question rubbed his head and stood a moment later, a small grin on his face.

"It's been a while since someone I've ever seen before blurt out my name like that." He laughed, "I don't know whether I should take that as a compliment or insult." Jaune reached his hand out to Ruby. The girl accepted it with tentative awareness.

"Sorry, it's just I remember reading about you delivering the final hit against that Grimm Spirit." She lied.

Jaune however had a confused look, "That's up for speculation. Every paper I read back then talked about Team RWBY doing that. I really never minded though, I was never one for being the center of attention." He revealed with a shrug.

Ruby knew her plan was lynched, "Uh... Not the one I read. It was...published... In uh... Hirano, here... Yeah..." She laughed nervously.

_I am acting like an idiot._ She thought to herself. Jaune glanced at her warily before shrugging.

"Oh well, that's in the past anyway. Speaking of anyway, as you've said earlier, I'm Jaune Arc." He held out his hand, "Who is the young woman who knows my name?"

Ruby accepted the handshake, "I'm Scarlet Rosette." They gave small, welcoming smiles before an awkward silence bestowed upon them, before Ruby, or Scarlet, popped a question.

"Lunch?"

A few minutes later Ruby and Jaune were sat at a booth, eating some sandwiches. They once again sat in an awkward silence before Jaune laughed mildly, catching Ruby's ears.

"What's funny?"

Jaune shook his head, "Nothing really. I just remember the time when I met my future girlfriend. I could hardly do anything near her without embarrassing myself, and when she took me out to lunch I almost passed out from embarrassment." He sighed, recalling his memories.

Ruby raised an eyebrow, not knowing Jaune got himself a girlfriend.

"Who's this girl who became your future girlfriend, if you don't mind answering a stranger?"

Jaune chuckled, "No, it's quite alright. Her name is Pyrrha Nikos." The answer caused Ruby's eyes to widen and choke on her food.

Jaune noticed this, "H-hey, you ok?" He asked, leaning forward to pat the coughing woman's back.

Ruby cleared her throat, "I'm ok. Food just went down the wrong pipe." She lied, her brain still racking at the fact Jaune got Pyrrha as his girlfriend.

_Jaune's more of a man than he was 14 years ago. I'm impressed._ Ruby laughed mentally.

"I'm surprised you actually accepted my lunch invitation. I'm only a stranger to you really."

Jaune shrugged, biting into his sandwich, "Pyrrha taught me to be more open to make new friends. She hasn't led me astray so far, so I have no reason not to trust her." The last sentence rang through Ruby's ears, causing her to freeze.

_That... Sounds like me and Christian... He hasn't betrayed me, so I should believe in him..._ She led that thought into a smile.

"What's with the sudden smile?" Jaune asked.

Ruby looked up, beaming slightly, "You reminded me of an old friend..." She trailed. They sat in a comfortable silence before Ruby stood.

"Leaving?"

Ruby nodded, gathering her trash, "Yes. Thank you for the lunch."

He nodded in response, "Think nothing of it. Want to come over to my house sometime this week? I'm sure Pyrrha would love to meet you?" He asked with a smile.

Ruby mimicked it, "I would love to. Wanna trade numbers so you can call me when it's ok?" At his nod Ruby and Jaune traded numbers after she discarded her trash. They both went their separate ways and after what seemed like a long time, she gave off a genuine smile.

**At an abandoned dust factory...**

Cinder Fall gave a cold stare out at the town of Hirano, not noticing a subordinate walk up behind her.

"Sir." The male directed, standing professionally. Cinder glanced behind herself and saw who it was. She turned fully, fire almost literally in her eyes.

"Speak."

The man bowed, before clearing his throat, "Hirano we believe houses Team RWBY and Project Zero."

"What evidence supports your claim?" The man held out a folder in response. Cinder snatched said papers and quickly glanced through them, skimming through the documents, but grazing carefully through the taken pictures to see if the accusations were true. She nodded slowly and handed the folder back.

"Alright. Send if a few Beowolves so we can scan their combat capabilities then-"

The man interrupted her, "Actually sir, we believe that Team RWBY is there for a mission that's related to you."

Cinder became curious, "Oh?"

Now the man was hesitant, "Well, we believe that our location was leaked, and now Team RWBY is here to find and either take you captive or kill you." He flinched back. Cinder stayed silent for a moment before her fist flared into a ball of fire. The man ran in the opposite direction, but he wasn't careful enough and caught a table, tripping over and falling face first. He turned to face Cinder just in time to catch a fireball to his face.

Cinder ignored the cries of agony and flipped open her phone, dialing a familiar number.

"Yes?" The voice asked.

"They know where we are. I need you to send in a Deathstalker and terrorize the town of Hirano. Make sure you either deathly injure or kill Team RWBY. I will pay depending on how gruesome the bodies look." Cinder said with open fury.

The voice was static for a moment before answering, "What about Project Zero?"

"Bring her in as uninjured as possible. I would prefer knocked out being the most damage possible. Can you manage that Roman?"

Roman cackled through the phone, "Why deary, I was hoping for a bigger challenge of of someone as dastardly as you. Alas, you have a deal." He shut the phone off not a moment later.

Cinder followed suit, looking back at the now dead worker; his face down to charred skin, looking like he just came out of a zombie movie. She walked over to the body and started chipping away at the remaining crude skin barely attached to his face.

"Oh my dear little Ruby, I treated you like my own daughter and in the end you still tried to whip me after all the _love_ and _care _I've given you." She opened her hand and sliced some skin off, letting the blood flow into her other hand.

She moved the semi-dry liquid around for a minute before tilting her hand and let the blood drip like a waterfall back onto the worker's face, the red singed liquid now splashing onto nearby surfaces.

Cinder gave a psychotic grin, "I will not be so kind next time."

**Kira: Alright, I think this is a good place to stop. Just like A Queen's Hurt, I sparked this idea from nothing. I plan on working on this for sometime between working on Aftermath and RWBY. Hope you enjoy. :)**

**Kira: Actually, before I forget, the reason why Ruby's left eye is still red, for those of you who know about blood vessels popping in the eyes, is because, well, blood stains right? Well, in this case, the blood stained her eye, and that will be of importance later. Again, hope you enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Kira: Amazing reception for the first chapter of this. I knew some people would read it, but not that much in **_**one**_** day, and not even that! :) I want to thank all the people who have favorited and followed this story, and I hope you continue to enjoy.**

"Weiss, wake up." A feminine voice muttered, catching the fleeting girl's attention. The white lover opened her eyes slowly and met her peripheral vision with that of the Faunus, who towered over her, dressed in her casual clothing.

"Five more minutes..." She muttered, turning away. Blake sighed heavily and went for drastic measures. That is, pulling the sheets off of Weiss' bed and dragging her down with. Needless to say, it worked and Weiss was sent toppling to the floor.

"What the hell?" Weiss spurted, now fully awake. Blake fought to keep a straight face, but abandoned that thought not a moment later.

She split a grin with a shrug, "It worked." She left it at that. Weiss stood there dumbstruck before shaking her head, fixing the bed that Blake used to wake her friend up. A knock on the door prevented her from finishing.

"Who is it!?" Weiss yelled loud enough for the person to hear. The door opened and Yang peeked her head through, a small smile on her face.

"Hey guys! Get ready as soon as you can. Recca found a quaint restaurant that sells _amazing_ breakfast." Yang said quickly, shutting the door afterwards. Weiss and Blake glanced at the door and each other repeatedly before shrugging with a sigh, thinking the same thing.

_All to forget her sister._

Ruby sneezed unexpectedly as she washed her face, splashing water all over her mirror.

She wiped her nose, "That was unexpected." She mumbled, but shrugged and went on fixing her mirror before finishing what was needed with her face and hair. After that Ruby went on to look for her contact lens, and realized something was wrong.

"Wait, where's the other one?" She asked, her eyes flying wide. Ruby closed up her contact lens case and started sprinting around her abode, almost quite literally leaving no stone unturned.

After about five minutes she dragged her tired body back into the bathroom, staring gloomily at her contact lens, one of her contact lens to be specific.

She opened it up again, "Looks like I need to head to Dr. Randal again. I need a check up anyway, so I'll get double done." She paused for a moment, "But what do I do about today, before the appointment?" She checked her phone and saw it was Friday.

She frowned, "That's right, today I was supposed to go over to Jaune's house, wherever he lives anyway. When's that appointment?" She fast walked out of her bathroom and over to her calender which was magnetized to her fridge and poked out her appointment.

"4:00..." She mumbled, planning out the day ahead.

"Alright, as long as-" Her monologue was interrupted by her cellphone. She tracked back to the bathroom and picked it up, reading who was calling/texting her. It was Jaune.

"What does he want?" She asked herself, clicking on the view message.

_Slight change of plans. Pyrrha and I need to go visit her doctor later so could you come over earlier? Probably around 11:00 if possible?_

Ruby went downcast, "Shit." She grumbled, now needing to make a decision. She could blow Jaune off and possibly make a story later, or just suck it up and ride on.

The latter was better, because Ruby already had a cover story.

"I just hope they don't start asking questions." She groaned, slipping in her one contact lens into her silver eye, changing it to brown. She glanced by her clock as she moved to her room and saw it was already 10:30, and inwardly panicked.

Before any verbal cursing could be released, her phone rang again. Ruby dashed towards it and opened another text from Jaune.

_Oh, and don't worry about no knowing where I live. I asked Pyrrha to come pick you up. I looked up your address in the phone book._ Ruby sighed gratefully, but felt slightly weirded out that Jaune went through the trouble to look up her address, through a phone book.

"Well, Jaune was always a weird character." She admitted with a smile, before moving back into her room to get dressed properly.

**In town...**

Weiss took a sharp intake of breath as she stared up at the restaurant that Yang had told her and Blake about.

Blake spoke for Weiss, "Well, I knew that you said they sold good breakfast, and I see where that money went to." She spoke in a calm tone, trying to keep the excitement and awe from showing.

Recca stared at Weiss for a moment, "I'm assuming you answered for Weiss as well?" He asked in an amused tone. Blake only shrugged with a slight nod in response, before turning to their leader.

"Well Yang, you going to bring us in or just stand there listening to our oh-so _amusing_ conversations?" Yang turned to face Blake and blew a raspberry before leading them in, where a slight surprise met them.

"Jaune, is that you?" Blake asked, first noticing the leader of Team JNPR. The man, after signing the receipt at the counter, turned towards the quartet with a shocked expression.

"H-hey guys!" He greeted with a smile and wave.

"What's up? It's been a while!" Yang greeted with her perky attitude. She gave a light smack to Jaune's back, sending the poor man forward into Recca.

"Oh, sorry." Jaune apologized, moving backwards to straighten and face the person who saved him from meeting the floor.

Recca smiled down at Jaune's surprised face, "Let's go outside. I have a feeling us five will be here for a while."

**Outside...**

"So, what's with the bag?" Yang asked, pointing down to a plastic bag that Jaune held in one hand.

He glanced back and forth for a moment, before bringing the bag into full view, "Oh, this? I came here to get some food for a guest coming over to my house later today."

Blake raised an eyebrow, "It may not be my place to ask, but who is the person who you invited?" She asked.

Jaune shrugged, laughing lightly, "It's quite alright. Her name is Scarlet Rosette."

Weiss and Recca had slight shock, "You mean _the_ Scarlet Rosette?" Recca answered this time. Everyone else turned to them with confused looks.

"Who?" Yang asked first.

Weiss had a look of betrayal, "You mean you don't know the person who five years ago singlehandedly stopped a Grimm invasion from destroying this town?" She spoke in a fast tone of voice. Everyone else did a triple take, where as Recca just laughed silently.

"If Scarlet did what something that extraordinary then why haven't we heard of her accomplishments?" Yang asked, speaking for everyone who didn't know.

Recca jumped in before Weiss could retaliate, "It's because, what we've been told anyway, is that when she noticed that the media started invading her, she begged to just let her live normal life. When the media wouldn't listen, a week later the local police found their bodies scattered and buried out in the forest nearby." He explained, his look amused when seeing their somewhat horrified looks.

"Are you telling me I invited a murderer to my house?" Jaune asked, his pith getting higher by the word.

Weiss fast walked up to him and slapped his mouth shut, "No, you did not. That explanation started as a rumor and still is to this day. Plus, everyone who knows about her being a hero and a possible murderer looked over the murder because without her, there wouldn't be a town of Hirano today."

Blake spotted odd about their conversation, and decided to speak up, "Quick question." She spoke, grabbing the others attention.

When all eyes were on her, she started, "You said that Scarlet stopped a Grimm invasion five years ago," When she stopped Weiss nodded in confirmation, reading her silent question, "Well, 10 years ago the Spirit of Grimm was destroyed, evaporating the Grimm presence in our world. So, how did Scarlet stop a Grimm invasion if there's none to speak of?"

Weiss was able to answer, "That was actually not true. Beowolves, Ursai, Boarbatusk were actually created from Dust in its volatile form. Volatile dust is compressed powder that is injected into the veins of a subject, most likely land animal or human, weakened by a terminal disease. The Dust, which depending on the color and element changes the product, is shifted evenly throughout the body and dissolves into pockets of deoxygenated blood that, when those pockets are taken into the heart, the Dust leaves the pockets and starts infecting the afflicted mammal through the inside out. It then is only a matter of time until death before the afflicted starts changing and morphing into either a Beowolf, Ursa, or Boarbatusk. This part can be summed up to them being turning into a zombie. When the transformation is complete, they then spread the disease the same way a zombie bite can." Weiss explained. Everyone stared dumbstruck at Weiss' explanation of how a Beowolf is born.

Yang blinked rapidly, before shaking herself out of her stupor, "Thanks for the explanation Schnee. Now, never say something like that _ever_ again." Blake, Jaune, and Recca nodded swiftly in conformation.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "You guys asked, I answered."

Jaune sighed a laugh, "Anyway, now that we got that done," He turned to Recca, "Who are you?"

The man in question gave a two finger salute, "The name's Recca. I'm the new addition of Team RWBY." He informed in a polite tone.

Jaune nodded, "Oh right. I won't delve into _that_ lest I want to end up like that media man." Yang snorted and turned around, visibly showing that she didn't want to go back into the subject. Jaune stared blankly at her while Weiss just waved it off.

She spoke up not long after, "Ignore her. Anyway, yes, Recca became the newest member of our team about a year after _that_ event." Blake shook her head, staring down at the grass. Jaune saw the depressed looks in Yang's and Blake's eyes but surprisingly, not in Weiss' eyes. She held a solid front, leaving Jaune a little skeptical on her attitude towards Yang's sister. He didn't have enough time to elaborate when he noticed what time it was.

"Oh, I gotta go guys. Can't keep Scarlet or Pyrrha waiting." He said, starting to jog in the opposite direction with the bag of food.

Weiss spoke, trying to grab his attention one last time, "Ask Scarlet if we could meet with her!" Jaune gave a thumbs up before he left their range of hearing.

Blake raised an eyebrow, "Did he say Pyrrha?"

Weiss turned towards her, "Do you have to question everything?"

**At Ruby's Place...**

Ruby walked outside and closed the door behind her. She looked out into the busy roads and crowded sidewalks and frowned, wondering if Pyrrha would know where she was, or if she was-

"Are you Scarlet Rosette?"

-never mind. Ruby turned to the voice and saw Pyrrha, a blood-red haired woman with emerald-green eyes. She wore a brown t-shirt with her emblem on it, with purple jeans that reminded Ruby of the Beacon homecoming dance their second year there. Her hair still had its high pony tail, unlike Weiss' hair which was cut down to shoulder length.

Ruby nodded, "I am. And I can only assume you're Pyrrha Nikos?" She asked.

The woman in question nodded with a smile, "You would be correct. I assume that Jaune has told you that?" Ruby nodded this time. The two stood in a sustained silence before Pyrrha broke it.

"Well, instead of standing here and having a staring contest, shall I escort you to my car?" Pyrrha waved her arm out. Ruby nodded and both walked over to the suggested vehicle, where both entered in their respected seats, Pyrrha at the wheel and Ruby at passenger.

Not wanting to have a boring ride, Pyrrha spoke up, "So, is there any reason you have one brown eye and one red one?" She asked, keeping her eyes focused on the road.

Ruby jumped her head slightly, secretly thanking Pyrrha for starting a conversation, "I have contacts, but I lost one earlier today. I'm going over to Dr. Randal later today to get hopefully another pair." She informed with a slight shrug, shaking off her tiredness.

Pyrrha nodded in response, "Alright then. And if you don't mind me asking, why did you prefer to live your normal life after that Grimm invasion against this town some time ago, instead of treating yourself as a superstar?" She asked, taking a turn.

Ruby gave a deep sigh, "Because... I never really wanted to be in the spotlight. Tell me if this makes sense; I'm shy, but outgoing." They sat in silence for a minutes before Pyrrha clicked her tongue, ready to speak.

"I see what you're getting at. I used to know someone who is similar to you."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "Who is that?"

"Ruby Rose."

**Back inside the restaurant...**

The quartet had already ordered what could be considered lunch by this time, and now everyone sat bored, drinking their respective beverages.

Yang spoke up, hoping to dissipate the boredom, "If you mind me asking Weiss, could you tell us more about this Scarlet chick?" Weiss rolled her eyes at Yang slandering Scarlet, through her ears anyway. Recca stiffled a laugh, but didn't speak up, hoping to relieve the boredom through this hopeful conversation as well.

Weiss gave a sigh, trying to not yell at the hyperactive teammate, "Well, Ms. Scarlet is a mystery to all of us. The only real read my family even has on her are actually two things, one is that story of her and the second is she may have connections with the FBI."

Blake raised an eyebrow, sipping her milk, "Really? Connections with the FBI?"

Recca jumped into the conversation, "Actually, I've heard of that as well. What I've heard is that after that media incident she got involved in a scandal that kind of sucked her into the entire operation with that scandal itself."

"What happened?" Yang was now deep into the conversation.

Recca shrugged, "That's where it becomes thin, not enough information. All we know with the scattered information provided is that the investigation was about someone with the ability to control Grimm." Yang and Blake exchanged surprised glances.

Blake treaded into dark territory, "Didn't Ruby-"

**At Jaune's House...**

"Well, this is the place." Pyrrha said, stepping out of her car after they pulled into the driveway. Ruby stepped out a few seconds later, trying to contain her. Ruby shifted her attention to the structure in-front of her, and took to admiring it instead of worrying about anyone finding out about her. It was a simple single floored white-painted exterior house. Ruby, if she met the person, would've given a nod to the architect for the simple design in the exterior. Pyrrha led Ruby to the entrance, where the latter took her time to smother her eyes among the rows of flowers, bushes, and other beautiful yard art that no doubt Pyrrha picked out. She led Ruby inside and the place was that much nicer. The living room was decorated with pictures, ornaments, antiques and comfortable looking furniture. Speaking of which, the furniture surrounded a knee-length, 6 foot length coffee table. In front, towards the wall that was connected to the kitchen wall, was a couch about two feet longer that the table, and on opposite ends of the table, about 90 degrees to the couch, were two dark blue reclining chairs. Ruby gave a slight nod in respect, before snapping her eyes to the flat screen that was situated on a T.V. stand of sorts.

"You like the house I assume?" Pyrrha asked, breaking Ruby out of her silence.

Ruby nodded, "Seems very cozy."

Pyrrha chuckled, "Costs less than it looks. But I guess that's the props of being one of the teams that stopped the Grimm uprising 10 years ago."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "The stop of the Grimm uprising?" She was confused with how Pyrrha worded it.

Pyrrha glanced at Ruby, "That's the name my team came up with for the "baby boom" of the Grimm, 10 years ago."

"What happened?"

**Outside the restaurant...**

Team RWBY left as a whole, though Blake popped out of the building first stumbling before she fell to the ground. Yang came out next, rubbing her right hand. Weiss and Recca slid out next, Weiss holding a bag similar to Jaune's when he left.

"Honestly Yang, I think you took it too far." Weiss said, observing the downed Faunus. There was a red mark on her head, where Yang had hit her. Yang just grunted and finished wiping the last of the scratches off of her knuckle. Recca laughed lightly at the interaction, before grabbing their attention.

"Hey guys, we should probably head back to our apartment before the media finds out we're here." Recca stated. The three girls turned to look at him, before realizing that they hadn't been ambushed yet.

"Yeah, we probably should before we get caught. Plus, I need to look up more about this Scarlet Rosette character." Yang informed seriously.

Weiss mocked being impressed, "Wow Yang, I don't think I've seen you this serious in a long time." Yang snapped her attention towards the ice queen and snarled, before turning her back on them, literally.

Blake by this point was able to stand, albeit with a little shake in her step, "Weiss, just give her a break. We _all_ know what's happened after the fall of the Grimm."

Recca cut in, "Actually, I'm curious to know what happened before that. I know the events after Ruby left to go to her uncle up till now, but what happened before that, at the end of your guys' Beacon Academy school time?"

"You really that curious?" Weiss asked. At Recca's nod Weiss took a deep breath, ready to start the tale.

Pyrrha tried to recall the memory, "Well, towards the end of my school time at Beacon Academy, we noticed an increase of attacks by the creatures of Grimm, which I'm sure you know about that since you stopped an invasion from them five years ago, did you not?" Ruby went slightly red and just nodded, not wanting to interrupt.

"Well, anyway, with those increased attacks, the White Fang took advantage of the chaos and they upped their Dust store scavenging as well, leaving the Hunters and Huntresses dry in terms of ammo for spells." Pyrrha took a long sigh after that.

"It became a bloody battle, into a war. Soon all of Vale took part, and it was us in a losing fight against both the White Fang and the Grimm. Soon we noticed coordinating attacks against us between the two." She took a long pause, her eyes sinking.

Ruby became anxious, "What is it?" Even though she'd heard something like this a long time ago, she was still curious.

"It was too late when we noticed a conjoined treaty between the two, and for about a month straight, the city became ravaged by war, and those who didn't escape to the height advantage of Beacon were torn to shreds and devoured in the streets." Weiss felt soft tears cloud her vision as she retold the tale.

"What happened?"

"Well, about halfway through the fight, Prof. Ozpin took note of weakening attacks from the Grimm offensive. He told all of us who were fighting in the bloody war, and then offered for up to eight people to rush the Grimm and push them back. My team, Team JNPR and Team RWBY quickly accepted the offer, and for some reason Ruby Rose herself seemed eager to take up the position."

Now Ruby's brain kicked in, _That's because the Grimm almost killed my sister._ She though with an eye roll, realizing how brash she was then.

"After we were briefed on what to do, Ozpin then trusted everyone else to guard the last line of defense, Beacon. We never found out if they held them off or not." Weiss sighed.

"Well anyway, our teams then set of to try to push back the Grimm assault, with moderate success. When the White Fang realized that their flankers had been pushed back, things went awry fast for them, and we started winning some battles." Pyrrha gave a small grin.

"When we got word of this, we got this massive adrenaline rush to push harder, knowing that it was Team RWBY and JNPR who helped them." Blake said with a smile.

Ruby smiled, "Well congratulations on that." Recca complimented.

"However, when we started pushing the Grimm back into the Emerald Forest, we noticed that with every mile, the eight of us were cutting down about, I'd say about x1.5 as more Grimm creatures."

"Once again, we realized too late something very important."

"What was it?" Ruby asked. She knew everything from this point on, but she was entertained with Pyrrha's tale on it. Recca was enthralled by Weiss' interpretation was well, and no one the wiser that they were telling the same tale in different areas.

Weiss gave a deep sigh, "We didn't know it at the time, but we were reaching ever so closer to the Grimm home base, where something even more terrifying than what he had seen so far was waiting for us."

Recca's curiosity had been peaked, "What was that?"

Pyrrha and Weiss glanced at their respective listeners, "The Spirit of Grimm."

_Flashback: 10 years ago... Grimm Home Base, Emerald Forest..._

_The last Beowolf cried out as it was sliced in half by Ruby's Crescent Rose. The eight were tired out after about eight hours straight of fighting Grimm._

_Ruby took in a large breath, "Has anyone kept count of dead Grimm? I've lost count at 2,000." Ruby huffed with a slight laugh._

_Weiss snorted, unhappy, "Would you keep focused Ruby? With how long we've fought I'd rather stay focused and not get snuck up on!" She snapped._

_Yang growled lowly, "Oh quit your bitching!"_

_"Yang!" Ruby gasped._

_She was ignored, "I can understand how tired and frustrated you are but that doesn't give you a reason to complain about my sister trying to cheer us up after we've fought for almost eight hours!"_

_"If you're so annoyed about me acting like a competent team member than maybe you should just up and leave! You seem to be good at that when it comes to your one-night stands!" Weiss yelled. Yang snarled and punched the heiress square in the cheek, sending her flying into a nearby tree. Everyone stared at them, before Pyrrha very quickly stood in between them with her weapons drawn, shield against Yang and her spear pointed at Weiss._

_"Both of you need to calm down. It's very easy to tell that tensions are high, but fighting each other is not even close to a thinkable option." Pyrrha ordered with a calm tone, glancing back and forth between the arguing teammates._

_Ren stepped up next, his arms crossed, "Pyrrha's right. With everyone else at Beacon holding off the White Fang they're counting on us to keep the Grimm away so they can stay focused. Speaking of which, why don't you two do the same thing instead of arguing about something so stupid!" He ordered, causing silence to reign, no one ever witnessing such anger from someone as calm as Lie Ren. Yang and Weiss glanced at each other, meeting in a silent treaty, until after the ensuing struggle is finished. Ruby and Jaune gave sighs of relief, seeing that they weren't needed to calm the eye of the storm._

_The feminine leader smiled brightly, clapping her hands together, "Ok then! Let's finish this!"_

_"Hoorah!"_

_**Five minutes later... Forest clearing...**_

_Teams RWBY and JNPR reaching a clearing, relief that they could finally see the sunlight. What they saw was definitely out of the ordinary. What they hoped to see was sky was instead a dark cloud looming overhead, a foreboding feeling vibrating through their nerves._

_"Something doesn't feel right." Jaune said calmly, though his eyes were opposite. He pulled out Crocea Mors and his shield, ready. Everyone else followed respectively, shuffling slowly so they were all back to back in a circle._

_"While I would make a smart ass comment in any other situation, I'm going to refrain this time." Yang commented, her eyes snapping back and forth._

_Weiss rolled her eyes, shifting the dial on Myrtenaster, "Oh, I'm sure we feel oh so heart-broken that Yang doesn't say such a tease." She commented snidly._

_Pyrrha broke the scuffle this time, "Quiet you two. I hear something." She hushed them. The two bickering teammates went quiet as they joined everyone else in listening closely._

_"I don't-" Nora started._

_"Move!" Ren yelled, pushing Nora out of the way of a projectile, said object instead ramming into Ren's chest, rag-dolling him into a tree. Everyone stared appalled seeing the stream of blood fly from his body, acting as a trail._

_"Ren!" Nora cried in anguish. Before she could rush to him, Jaune gripped her shoulder with a strength even he didn't know he had, but one would've just chalked it up to his aura helping him._

_"Let me go!"_

_"If I do I guarantee you fall victim as well!" Jaune yelled with ferocity, stopping the girl almost immediately. Ruby heard something, and immediately turned to Nora's left. She jumped there and sliced Crescent Rose, slicing a shadowed bullet in half, stopping the assassination attempt._

_"Oh, I see the leader's got some ken eye sight." A raspy voice spoke suddenly, causing everyone's nerves to rumble._

_"Oh well, I always preferred seeing my prey's dying glance." It said again, before purple mist rolled through, the rain starting to drop as well._

_Everyone had their concentration divided, one at the surroundings, now that they've heard this mysterious assassin was going to reveal himself, and the other at their friend who Pyrrha took note that his chest was still rising and falling._

_"Are you gonna show yourself or shall we destroy the forest to try to find you?" Ruby asked dangerously. Her teammates had slight shock adorning their faces at her new found confidence and anger._

_The voice gave a loud laugh, "Oh, that is just so sweet to hear that coming from a girl like you girl. Why don't you go back to your mother? Oh wait... That's right, she fell to my minions claws. HAHAHA!" The voice echoed. Ruby's and Yang's face contorted in anger and pain respectively, and as the voice continued bellowing its laugh, Ruby scrambled her hearing and sight, before she pinpointed the direction._

_"Eat this you bastard." She said, folding up Crescent Rose into its sniper form and blasting a high-powered round into her desired direction. She grinned in victory when she heard a loud piercing sound followed by a gurgling scream._

_"Yang, Weiss, blow that part of the forest away!" Ruby ordered, pointing towards the area where she shot at. Weiss and Yang nodded before they took their spots in-front of their leader, readying their weapons. Weiss pushed the hammer on Myrtenaster and the dial spun till it landed on blue, while Yang readied her gauntlets._

_Myrtenaster glew an ice blue before Weiss slammed the weapon into the ground, sprouting a stem of ice speeding towards the trees. When it hit every tree about 50 back, left and right froze up, leaving them vulnerable for Yang's barrage._

_Ruby turned towards the up members of Team JNPR, "Get Ren and make sure he's still alive! I'd rather we leave with none dead!" She ordered. The shaken team nodded and started moving towards the fallen Lie Ren._

_Ruby then turned to Blake, "Blake, make sure they're unscathed!" She walked quickly up to Blake, "And make sure they get back to Beacon." She whispered. Blake had barely heard her over Yang's unrelenting attack against the frozen nature, and faced Ruby with a raised eyebrow._

_"You and I both know we could use their assistance. So why turn them away?"_

_The young leader frowned, "Because I want someone to leave here with information on where we are. If we _all_ get trapped, no one will know where we are or how to get us."_

_"You know I don't believe you."_

_"No one ever said you had to." Was Ruby's final word. Blake nodded deftly before running towards their three friends who were trying to stabilize Ren's heartbeat. When Ruby turned back she saw what Yang and Weiss had created, or destroyed. There were little to no trees left within a 50 yard radius, and no sign of the thing that fired at us._

_"Where is he?" Ruby asked loudly, shocked. A grim chuckle grabbed their attention again, forcing the three to form a small triangle, Yang focusing all her attention on the four nearby Ren._

_"Do not worry about your coordinated attack Ms. Rose. I was dealt a blow. However..." The three's attention was swapped to a black mist that was making itself known through the purple._

_"A simple attack like that won't kill a ghost."_

A doorbell interrupted Pyrrha's focus, causing her to blink repeatedly.

"Huh?" She asked, confused at the reality as it swamped her vision.

"Someone rang the doorbell." Ruby reminded her, seeing the confusion in her eyes.

The second redhead laughed a moment later, "Oh, my bad. I must have got caught up in the moment. I'll be right back." She excused herself. Ruby nodded to herself and finally moved over to a seat. She sat down and felt great relief at not having to stand, and waited for Pyrrha to return.

Not a moment later she heard her voice, "Jaune, I know you like being polite but this is your house as well, there's no need to ring the doorbell." She laughed, before walking back. Ruby caught sight of Pyrrha and Jaune with their hands entwined, causing the younger of the three to smile.

_It's still nice to see everyone I once knew live wonderful lives._ She thought. That thought however led to her remembering her time with her teammates.

"Hello again Scarlet." Jaune greeted with a wave. Ruby mimicked it and allowed Jaune to move into the kitchen where he set up lunch. About five minutes later everyone was in the livingroom eating what Jaune had bought; medium-rare steak.

Ruby chuckled at Jaune's choice for lunch, "Steak for lunch Jaune, really?" Pyrrha gave a small laugh of her own and Jaune gave a timid shrug.

"He's always had a taste for steak, and with how long I've lived with him it doesn't come as a surprise when he brings something like this home." Pyrrha answered, taking a bite of her main course. They sat in a comfortable silence before Jaune spoke up.

He wiped his lips with his napkin, "Actually Scarlet, there's something I want to ask you."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "Go ahead." She pressed, both her and Pyrrha curious.

"Well, earlier I ran into some old friends and they told me something... interesting about your past, involving about your stopping a Grimm invasion about five years ago." Jaune treaded on thin ice with that comment.

Ruby paled at that, _No, this isn't going to be about-_

Pyrrha nodded, "Oh, I think I know what you're talking about; it's about that scandal that Scarlet murdered those reporters that kept following her, isn't it?"

_-shit, it is._ Ruby finished. She felt the two pairs of eyes push her down into the seat, and soon found it better if she spoke before she was buried by the stares alone.

Ruby sighed, "Before I answer, can I safely assume that the 'old friends' you're talking about are the members of Team RWBY, correct?" Jaune nodded in response, and sat patiently. Ruby assumed that Jaune knew it was a sensitive topic, and was grateful that he was allowing her to calm her nerves.

"Well, now that I know that, it should be easy." Ruby started, "Well, that rumor is true to a degree. Those reporters _did_ get killed, but not by me."

"If not, then who did they get killed by?" Asked Pyrrha.

"Well, let me see if this will clear the confusion; I am apart of the FBI." Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes widened, and Ruby was quick to respond.

"Let me try this then; my boss didn't want any top secret information to be leaked so he sent four specially trained soldiers to get rid of them."

"Well your _leader_ went overboard. He could've just kept them under surveillance if any information did get leaked." Jaune retorted angrily.

Rub stood up abruptly, "Listen here Jaune Arc! What my mission was back then and is now _cannot_ have_ anyone_ know about, else my target react in a brutal manner that could destroy everyone in Hirano!" She yelled. Pyrrha and Jaune stared silently, and Ruby regretted it instantly.

"I... I believe I've overstayed my welcome." Ruby muttered, before stepping quickly out the front door. The girl sprinted down the crowded streets trying to not run into anyone with decent success. It was about 10 minutes of straight sprinting before she reached her apartment building, where she rested against the front wall next to the front door.

_Oh my go! Oh my god! I so overreacted back there!_ She thought desperately, now running scenarios through her head of how to apologize to Jaune and Pyrrha. She stood up after about five minutes of resting and feeling about 50 pairs of eyes graze her in curiosity. She entered the building and made her way up to her room where she stayed there for about an hour straight before remembering something.

"Oh right, I got an appointment with Dr. Randal in 90 minutes. I'd better get going." She muttered to herself in defeat. She got up from the couch and tossed her sweatshirt, which she was using as a pillow, over to the nearby chair. Ruby was glad it was close to summer and chose to walk to the hospital. After grabbing her wallet Ruby left her apartment room and took two steps down the hall when an unfortunate surprise met her.

"Are you Scarlet Rosette?"

It was Team RWBY.

**Kira: I actually don't know what to think of this chapter. It was a somewhat all over the place for me, so I'm not to sure how this'll work out. Anyway, I'm still working on my other stories, but at a slower pace. Now, there's a Rooster Tetth made RWBY coffee mug for sale and I want it. Bye! :D**


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